There exists today controller-based power metering devices, which are a type of intelligent electronic device (IED), that perform metering and power quality calculations. There also exists a device known as a merging unit that combines multiple input (typically digital) signals from various current transformers and potential transformers and outputs a merged set of signals for processing and storage remote from the merging unit. Presently, these power metering and merging functions are carried out in separate devices that have to be cabled together with expensive copper wiring. Samples between these two devices are poorly synchronized, and merging units can provide more signals than actually needed for the particular metering calculation that needs to be performed. For example, when a measurement CT becomes saturated, only data from the protection CT might be useful, but the merging unit will provide signals from both the measurement and protection CTs, which increases network traffic at a time when congestion is disadvantageous, because saturation conditions occur when some type of fault or anomalous event has occurred on the electrical system.
What is needed, therefore, is at least an apparatus that combines power metering and merging unit capabilities into a single IED. The present disclosure is directed to addressing these and other needs.